Today is the first and only sea day of my 7-night Greek & Adriatic cruise, and we spent the day relaxing as we left the Ionian Sea and entered the Adriatic.
Our port days the previous three days started super early in the morning, so I took it easy this morning with a chai tea latte from Cafe Latitudes, which I enjoyed in the Centrum while catching up on Royal Caribbean Blog work.
Lunch was in the Windjammer today. I think I prefer the Windjammer to other dining options onboard due to the sheer range of options available. Today's highlights were a pasta bake with spinach and cheese, grilled vegetables, and baklava!
After lunch, I grabbed a coffee in the Diamond Lounge. The Diamond Lounge on Rhapsody of the Seas is in a slightly odd location, as it's in a corner of the Shall We Dance Lounge with barriers that don't reach the ceiling.
However, I feel the views in the Diamond Lounge are far superior than the lounge's location on other ships due to the vast views of the ocean available.
The art auction had just started in the Shall We Dance Lounge. I've never attended the art auction before, and after editing several Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube videos where Matt states he dislikes the art auction, I never had an inkling to go.
The auction's free champagne caught my eye, however, so Lauren and I sat down to watch.
We actually enjoyed ourselves a lot more than we thought we would! While we had no plans to purchase artwork (some were being auctioned for $10,000-20,000!), it was weirdly fun to watch the staff hype up each art piece and raffle off prizes. While I'm not sure I entirely understand why the art gallery and auctions exist on all Royal Caribbean cruise ships, it was certainly an interesting way to spend an hour.
Following the art auction was a fan-favorite cruise activity: the World's Sexiest Man Competition. It's impossible not to laugh during this competition, as the ship's "sexiest" men battle through a series of physical challenges and interview questions. It's one of those classic cruise ship activities that sound cheesy, but is quite entertaining!
At this point in the afternoon we were sailing alongside the coast of Albania, which was fascinating! I love seeing different countries and landscapes from afar on sea days, especially those I know little about.
I had to catch up on some Royal Caribbean Blog work in the afternoon, so I hung out in my stateroom for a few hours before dinner.
We had our last dinner tonight in the Main Dining Room, as we'll be eating in the Windjammer tomorrow and Izumi on our last night.
I ordered the eggplant parmesan as my main (which I got with a side of spaghetti marinara) and the molten chocolate cake for dessert. Everything in the Main Dining Room has been excellent on Rhapsody of the Seas, and the service from my waiters Marvic and Bayu was great!
We decided to see a show after dinner, as we had not yet seen any production show onboard. We watched a variety show, which started with a musical performance by the ship's orchestra followed by a magician.
Watching a magic show is unexpectedly becoming one of my favorite types of shows to attend on a cruise! While the magic is impressive, the comedic remarks of the magician add to the performance and make it a fun, family-friendly activity where the whole audience gets involved.
On a side note, the Broadway Melodies theater on this ship is beautiful! I'm loving the more intricate design of an older cruise ship.
We ended the night with a drink at Schooner Bar, which we drank while lounging on the Promenade deck and watching the calmest water I've ever seen pass by.
A sea day was well-appreciated after three busy port days, and we all feel rested for the remainder of our cruise. Tomorrow I will be waking up bright and early for one of the most anticipated moments on this cruise: sailing into the port of Kotor, Montenegro.
Stray observations
Most people I've talked to prior to this cruise seemed to view small cruise ships in a negative way, but I think this type of ship works well for a port-intensive itinerary! I never use most of the features on bigger ships anyway (water slides, zipline, etc.) so my experience on Rhapsody has not been much different than my day-to-day on an Oasis or Quantum Class ship.
Many announcements and events are being translated into Portuguese and Spanish on this cruise, as there are a ton of Brazilians onboard as well as guests from Spanish speaking countries.
The seas have been almost perfect for the entire week so far. A Greek Isles cruise may be a good choice for those prone to seasickness (except for the tender boat rides!).
